Four Attorneys Listed in 2016 Northern California Super Lawyers & Rising Stars

SAN FRANCISCO, CA (July 11, 2016) – Fisher Phillips announces Counsel Wendy McGuire Coats and Partners Jason Geller and Tim Murphy of the firm’s San Francisco office have been listed in the Northern California Super Lawyers 2016 Edition. In addition, Associate Katarzyna “Kasia” Nowak was selected to the list of “Rising Stars,”which recognizes the top up-and-coming attorneys in the region.

Super Lawyers is a listing of outstanding lawyers from more than 70 practice areas who have attained a high degree of peer recognition and professional achievement. The objective of the Super Lawyers selection process is to create a credible, comprehensive and diverse listing of outstanding attorneys that can be used as a resource to assist in the search for legal counsel. Approximately five percent of the Northern California Bar received the distinction.

Recognizing the top up-and-coming attorneys in the region, the selection process for “Rising Stars” is the same as the Super Lawyers selection process except that attorneys must be either 40 years old or younger or in practice for ten years or less. Approximately two percent of the Northern California Bar received this distinction.

Coats is an appellate attorney and leads the firm’s California Appellate Practice. She represents clients in all aspects of appellate litigation in state and federal appellate courts and prepares trial counsel for appellate consequences before, during and after trial. She received her J.D., magna cum laude, from the Pepperdine University School of Law (2005), where she was Editor in Chief of the Pepperdine Law Review, and her B.S Ed., magna cum laude, from the University of Missouri – Columbia (1996). Coats was included as a “Rising Star” in Appellate Law in 2009-2010 and from 2012-2015.

Geller is the managing partner of the firm's San Francisco office. He represents employers in all facets of employment law matters and has extensive experience defending employers in federal and state courts, as well as in investigations in front of various enforcement agencies. He received his J.D. from the Gonzaga University School of Law (1993) and his B.A. from the University of California, Santa Barbara (1989). This is the second year in a row that Geller has been listed in the Employment & Labor category. 

Murphy has more than 40 years of trial experience and his practice has focused on matters concerning sexual harassment, race discrimination, whistleblower allegations, retaliation, wrongful discharge, trade secret protection and disability discrimination. He received his J.D. from the University of Colorado School of Law (1972) and his B.A. from Stanford University (1969). Murphy has been included in the Employment Litigation category for the past nine years.

Nowak’s practice involves employment-related litigation, including defending employers against claims of discrimination, retaliation and wrongful termination. She has represented public companies, private companies and individuals in a wide variety of employment matters, in both state and federal courts, and before various state and federal agencies. Nowak earned her J.D. from the University of California, Berkeley College of Law (2007), MSc, with merit, from the London School of Economics (2004) and her B.A., with highest honors, from the University of California, Berkeley (2000). This is the fourth year in a row she has been listed in the Employment Litigation category as a “Rising Star”.